J Jams Entertainment, LLC Talent Agency Artist Management, Booking Agent Overview Instrumental and Vocal Ensemble Genre: Folk Website: https://thenewchristyminstrels.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-New- Secondary Genre: Pop Adult Contemporary Christy-Minstrels-Still-Under-The-Direction-of- Randy-Sparks-1522855201275011/ Location: Leavenworth, Kansas Booking Inquiries:
[email protected] Phone (904)-495-4095 The New Christy Minstrels®, Still Under the Direction of Randy Sparks. Vintage Video: Green, Green - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfxgbsXeTdE Randy Sparks Bio: Discovered and named John Denver (against his will, and his daughter recently thanked me that her name wasn’t Deutschendorf), he lived rent-free with my family his first year in showbiz. Recorded him for Capitol Records long before he recorded for RCA. Steve Martin became a stand-up comic on my stage (I had hired him as a banjo player) in just 34 weeks. Kenny Rogers and the First Edition came out of The NCM, and I gave them their first job as The First Edition. Kenny was just a bass player back then, not even leader of the group. Invented The New Christy Minstrels (on paper) in 1961, thereby creating the very first BIG FOLK GROUP. Got the act on record and on stage in 1962, won a GRAMMY for our very first album. Single-handedly rescued the word ‘minstrel’ from the landfill of Political Correctness. Successfully fought Columbia Records who refused to allow “racist word” to be associated with the label. Several later-on-important performers got their start with me: Michael Martin Murphey, Michael Johnson, The Hagers, Gary Mule Deer, Richard & Karen Carpenter (they were members of a group billed as The Spectrum, their first job), Michael Nesmith (sent him on the interview for The Monkees), Barry McGuire, of course, Gene Clark (later of The Byrds), The Back Porch Majority (originally The NCM ‘farm-team’), George McKelvey (big in Denver forever), etc.